Defence says Rolf Harris accuser flirted with star

Rolf Harris's defence team has said a woman who claims she
was indecently assaulted by the entertainer in fact flirted
with him before pursuing an adult relationship because they
had "sexual chemistry".

The accuser, a childhood friend of Harris's daughter Bindi,
says the Australian artist first assaulted her when she was
13 and continued harassing her until she was almost 30.

But during cross-examination, defence lawyer Sonia Woodley QC
said the complainant actually instigated a consensual
"affair".

Ms Woodley said an oral sex act the crown alleges took place
when Bindi's friend was under 16 in fact happened after 1983
when she was at least 18.

The defence lawyer suggested the witness was jealous because
Bindi had a new best friend and "flirted" with Harris at his
home in Bray, west of London.

"There was sexual chemistry between the two of you," Ms
Woodley said.

"One thing led to another and oral sex took place, him on
you.

"I suggest you consented to that because at that time of your
life there was sexual chemistry between you."

The alleged victim, now 49, repeatedly denied that was the
case.

"There was no sexual chemistry at all," she told Southwark
Crown Court.

The witness has said years of abuse by Harris transformed her
from an "excruciatingly shy" but happy child to an alcoholic
teenager.

Ms Woodley, however, suggested the alleged victim had made up
some of the allegations altogether and misconstrued other
consensual meetings.

She demanded to know why the complainant went on an overseas
holiday with the Harris family in 1978 if she was scared of
the entertainer and found him "creepy".

The alleged victim, who was 13 at the time, replied: "I
wanted to go with Bindi and I knew Rolf wouldn't be around
that much."

She claims Harris assaulted her for the first time on the
trip after she'd had a shower in a hotel room in Hawaii.

Ms Woodley queried why there was "no hint of anything
unpleasant" in the diary she wrote shortly after returning
from the trip.

The witness said she hadn't included such details because she
didn't want anyone to know what had happened.

The diary was a record of her holiday activities rather than
her private thoughts, the court heard, and it was the
complainant's mother who eventually handed it to police.

The witness had previously described an incident when, aged
22, she was with Harris in his red Mercedes when he pulled
off the M4 motorway and asked her to perform oral sex. She
didn't want to but did.